Topneck Clam Sauce (Pasta Con le Arselle)

In this recipe, pasta is served with a sauce made with fresh topneck clams and tomatoes.

Ingredients

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1.1 pound Dry Pasta *
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2 pounds Topneck Clams

1 Tablespoon Cooking Extra Virgin Olive Oil *
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1 pound Ripe Plum Tomatoes, blanched, peeled, unseeded and diced

2 cloves Garlic, lightly squeezed

1 Tablespoon Fresh Parsley, chopped

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil *
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to taste Fine Sea Salt *
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green pepper* fresh ground
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1 1/2 gallons Cold Water

4 Tablespoons Coarse Sea Salt *
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Instructions

Rinse topneck clams well and put in a large pot, adding one of the squeezed garlic clove and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, cover with a lid and cook over high heat, shaking the pot often so all shellfish open at about the same time 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove topneck clams meat and reserve.

Warm 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan over low heat; add the other garlic clove and fry until lightly brown, then remove it.

Add diced tomato and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes then add reserved topneck clams and parsley and cook for 5 minutes more. Adjust seasoning with fine salt and pepper and simmer while the pasta is cooking to "al dente", stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring 1 1/2 gallons of water to a rolling boil.

Add the coarse sea salt (4 tablespoons), then add the pasta and cook until al dente.

Drain well in a colander (reserving 1 cup of the pasta water to adjust the sauce).

Add pasta to the sauce and the extra virgin olive oil, mix well to combine ingredients, cook for 1 minute add reserved pasta water if needed and serve.

Suggested shape of pasta to use with this sauce: Spaghetti, Tagliatelle, Gnocchi, or Strozzapreti

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